May 23, 2018

State to look at county’s response to hepatitis A crisis, which caused 20 deaths and sickened 588 in region

Nancy Weathers, public health nurse at North Coastal Public Health Center, testified on May 16 at the State Legislature’s Joint Audit Committee about the County’s response to the hepatitis A outbreak. She focused on the need for resources and a safety protocol to protect nurses and patients. Nurses had to submit a petition to add park ranger and police escorts to hepatitis A field assignments, keeping nurses safe and allowing us to do our jobs protecting community health. Weathers was the only public speaker to address the committee, which decided to investigate how the county’s public health department handled the outbreak. This is just the beginning as we continue to advocate for more staffing. Join the fight and support nurses by becoming a member today.